GEORGE DILLER: T-10, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, main engines
start, two, one, zero and liftoff of the Delta II rocket with Phoenix, a distant
science outpost seeking clues of the evolution at the polar region of Mars.
VOICE: Vehicle is responding....of the main engine chamber pressures
looking good...Peak chamber pressure in the solid motors....and we're
seeing the normal levels of disturbances as we go approach mach one.
Correction, we're past mach one. Supersonic. Solid motors beginning to
taper off. We've passed max Q. First stage performance looking good.
Five miles in altitude. Solid motor burnout. Air-start ignition and solid motor jettison.
Ground starts have been jettisoned and the
air-start motors are up and running.